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It's Fun to Play the Piano ... Please Pass It On!

I recently played a Mozart sonata by memory, and half way through the last movement my mind went blank, so I improvised all of the recapitulation, and no one noticed

That may say as much about your audience's level of musical knowledge and sophistication as it does about your improvisatory skills.

Not only knowledge and sophistication, but the amount of attention they were paying, too.

Back in the days when I did live performances, it always annoyed me a little when people would dismiss errors I made by saying that "nobody even noticed". Well, if they didn't notice, were they really listening? And if they weren't, what would be the point of playing?

Just look at it as a sign that you're a human being. In a way, that's what makes live performance exciting: you never know what's going to happen. You're not a machine.

My only comparable experience on the piano is when I try to play for my in-laws at their house after a holiday dinner. I ALWAYS totally bomb, whether I use music or not, even though the next day I can play the piece note perfect at home. It's probably a combination of their not-great piano, a too-low bench, and having imbibed a couple of glasses of wine in the preceding couple of hours.

I chickened out of my piano performance major because my nerves (and self confidence?) were too frail. THis was 30+ years ago To this day, when I'm under pressure, my nerves just go bonkers and cause my fingers to turn to jello. I can play in front of hundreds of people in church when I know no one is really listening to me with no problem, but when I'm doing solo piano or am in a chamber group where I feel I'll let people down if I goof up, I have the most ridiculous bouts of nerves. I have started wondering about beta blockers. A friend of mine from Apple Hill Chamber Music Camp (a physician) has talked to me about how he has used them therapeutically with people to help them feel what it's like to be completely free of the extrinsic sorts of static that can cause memory blocks so as to let one know what it feels and from there work to understand how those outside pressures work and eventually overcome them. I'm very tempted to try it.

Back in the days when I did live performances, it always annoyed me a little when people would dismiss errors I made by saying that "nobody even noticed". Well, if they didn't notice, were they really listening? And if they weren't, what would be the point of playing?

but therein lies the rub IMHO; we put all of this undue pressure on ourselves believing that the audience knows (or should know) every score by heart, when in fact, unless it's a jury or an audition, they are simply there to enjoy the music (and themselves). what's noticeable to audiences in general is not the lack of note perfect but the big collapses -- no music degree required to recognize those.

so if you're skilled enough to play thru the lapse or you use the sheet music as an aid, there's no shame in either of them, as long as the spirit of the music shines thru. IMHO.

People listen to music in different ways. It doesn't mean they're not paying attention. Also, sometimes they do notice, but they just don't care, because they realise that live performances are rarely perfect.

People listen to music in different ways. It doesn't mean they're not paying attention. Also, sometimes they do notice, but they just don't care, because they realise that live performances are rarely perfect.

AND they're grateful that it is YOU up on the stage sweating bullets and not THEM !!!